Title:
New Trials and Tribulations
Author:
rooster dawn
Classification: Harm/Mac
Spoilers: season seven
Disclaimers: The characters of JAG are the property of Donald Bellisario and Bellisarius Production, Inc. Used without permission. No copyright infringement intended. May be reproduce if unchanged, author given full credit, and no financial transaction is involved.
Summary: Bud goes to the Seahawk. Harm and Mac prosecute. Tragedy strikes with many fallouts.
Good feedback is good for the soul and my happiness.
part four Calling Home
0900 hours
28 May 2002
JAG Headquarters
Harm went down to the radio room to placed a call to JAG Headquarters. It had to be the most difficult thing in the world that he ever had to do. How do you tell your CO that one of your best friends is dead. He asked to talk to the Admiral.
"JAG Headquarters, Petty Officer Tiner speaking." greeted Jason.
"This is Commander Rabb, I need to talk with the Admiral." replied Harm.
"He's not in Sir. He's in a meeting with the SecNav." replied Tiner.
"Is Commander Turner available?" asked Harm.
"No Sir. He hasn't returned yet from the Watertown. Lieutenant Singer is the only one here." replied Tiner.
"Okay Tiner, get her for me." ordered Harm.
"Are you sure you want to tell her first Harm?" asked Mac.
"No, but she's the only one there. We have been sending our reports to the Admiral through her the last few weeks." replied Harm. "She has been doing a good job."
"Hello Commander Rabb, Lieutenant Singer here Sir." greeted Singer.
"Lauren, I have some very important information that you are to tell only the Admiral and no one else." started Harm.
"Yes Sir, understood Sir." replied Singer.
"Late this afternoon our time Lieutenant Roberts was on a trip to a small village. He saw a small child playing in a field in which he thought had land mines in it.
He tried to tell the child not to move. When the child didn't respond to him, he took several steps in the direction of the child. He stepped on a mine. He died several hours later in surgery." told Harm.
"Oh No!" wailed Singer.
"Lauren, listen to me, you can't tell anyone but the Admiral. Do you understand?" asked Harm.
"Yes Sir. Lieutenant Simms is going to be devastated Sir. Bud was her life." replied Singer stoically.
"Yes I know Lauren. Especially after losing her baby girl last year. That's why I want you to tell the Admiral first. She's going to need everyone's support to help her deal with this tragedy Lauren." explained Harm.
"Yes Sir." replied Singer stoically.
1030 hours
JAG Headquarters
An hour later the Admiral returned from his meeting with the SecNav. He was in a foul mood as usual whenever he had to deal with him. As he was about to enter his office Singer came running up to him.
"Sir, I need to talk to you." greeted Singer.
"Not now Lieutenant, I'm not in the mood." replied the Admiral abruptly.
"Sir! It's very important. It's news from Commander Rabb." exclaimed Singer impatiently. Why did he always think what she had to say was trivial.
"Very well, with me." replied the Admiral as he went into his office.
"What's so damm important Lieutenant that I can't at least go to the break room and get a cup of coffee?" bellowed the Admiral.
"Sir, Commander Rabb called an hour ago with some very bad news. It's seems Lieutenant Roberts stepped on a land mine yesterday afternoon. He's dead Sir." finished Singer as she tried to control her emotions.
"What! Are you sure you heard right? Have you told anyone Lieutenant?" bellowed the Admiral in total disbelief.
"Yes Sir, I'm sure. And no I haven't told anyone. The Commander told me not to Sir. He said Harriet was going to need all our support to deal with this tragedy." sobbed Singer.
"Why did it happen Sir? Bud was a good man. He was a good husband and father besides being a good officer. He wasn't a combat officer." asked Singer.
"Unfortunately it's the price we pay when you go to war. Someone you know always dies." replied a solemn Admiral.
1130 hours
JAG Headquarters
An hour later Tiner finally tracked down Harriet in the law library looking up old case file for Commander Turner. She wanted to have everything ready for him when he returned from the Watertown.
"Ma'am, the Admiral would like to see you in his office." requested Tiner.
"Thank you Tiner." replied Harriet as she hurried back to the offices.
She drop off the materials she had gathered onto Commander Turner's desk. She then hurried to the Admiral's office. She never like to keep the Admiral waiting.
Harriet knocked on the door. The Admiral bellowed "Enter!" Harriet quietly slipped into the Admiral's office where she noticed Lieutenant Singer sitting in one of the chairs. It looked like she had been crying. Harriet wondered what Singer was doing there. No doubt causing her trouble.
"Sit down Harriet. Early this morning we received a call, it came in from Commander Rabb. Lieutenant Singer was the person who took the call." the Admiral told Harriet.
"What did he have to say Sir?" asked Harriet. She hoped that it was some good news about Bud.
Singer stood up in front of Harriet to tell her what Harm had told her.
"Late yesterday afternoon Lieutenant Roberts and Petty Officer Coates were on their way to a small village. Lieutenant Roberts had arranged for the Navy to pay to rebuild a school that the Navy had inadvertently destroyed.
On the way to the village Lieutenant Roberts and Petty Officer Coates came across a small child playing in a field. Lieutenant Roberts thought it a mine field. He sent the Petty Officer to the village to get some help while he tried to get the child to stay put."
Harriet was becoming uneasy. Leave it to Bud to play the hero. She wondered what could have happen.
"Bud took a step towards the side of the road. He step on a land mine." continued Singer solemnly.
"Oh No!" cried Harriet.
"The Petty Officer got back to Lieutenant Roberts quickly with some of the villagers when they heard the explosion. There was nothing they could do. She called the ship for help. A helicopter with a med team was sent to treat Lieutenant Roberts.
They got him back to the ship alive. Surgery was performed on him. I'm sorry to inform you, but Lieutenant Roberts died. His body couldn't cope with the trauma it had suffered." continued Singer with tears in her eyes.
"Oh No!" wailed Harriet as the Admiral went quickly to take her into his arms.
"I'm very sorry Harriet. Bud was a good man, a good husband, and a good father. I had a great deal of respect for him for being able to balance a career with a family." wailed Singer as tears began to flow down her face again.
Singer stood there for a few minutes while she tried to compose herself before leaving the office. The Admiral held Harriet for a long time while she cried. Finally he was able to get her to lie down. He went out to the bull pen area.
"May I have everyone's attention. Early this morning Lieutenant Bud Roberts died from wounds he suffered from stepping on a landmine. Tiner with me."
They went back to his office. "I need you to take Lieutenant Sims home. And on the way pick up her son." ordered the Admiral.
"Yes Sir." replied Tiner.
Now came the hardest part. He had to call Harriet's parent to tell them what happen to Bud. Then he had to impress upon them Harriet's need for them to be there for her.
Next on the agenda he had to call Big Bud and little Mikey to tell them Bud was dead. He knew Big Bud wasn't the most lovable person in the world, but he knew he loved his sons. It would hit him very hard, it would probably devastate him.